ArtView September 2015 | Page 7

My books don‟t probably make for the easiest reading for young adults, but I‟m keen to put it out there that life isn‟t all roses, unicorns and doublehot-guy love triangles. To expect that is just asking for trouble, and to promulgate that? Is to misinform the young and unwary. I also often write to make sense of questions like: Why do bad things happen to good people? What happens to human energy, human consciousness, after death? Are we ruled by fate or by our own free will? How does one bad past act reverberate into the future? In order to do this, I‟m quite happy to throw the “extraordinary” (in the form of Norman knights, Lucifer, the angel of death) into the narrative mix because often the worst monsters in our world are not supernatural, but decidedly “human”. Which meant that when we had our own close brush with "the angel of death" at our house late last year—a medical emergency that changed the shape and fabric of my family‟s life instantly—it probably served me right. It was a deeply ironic and awful thing, given that the “angel of death” has made several cameo appearances in my novels now. Some kind of recompense was probably due. That I have been blessed with a second act and a second chance in my life is something I will probably be working through in my fiction for a while to come. Rebecca Lim is a writer and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. She worked as a commercial lawyer for several years before leaving to write full time. Rebecca is the author of sixteen books for children and young adult readers, including The Astrologer’s Daughter and Afterlight. An Aurealis Awards and Davitt Awards finalist, Rebecca’s work has been longlisted for the Gold Inky Award, the David Gemmell Legend Award and the CBCA Book of the Year Award for Older Readers. Her novels have been translated into German, French, Turkish, Portuguese and Polish. Rebecca’s latest novel, Afterlight, is out now through Text Publishing. Find out more at: www.textpublishing.com.au/books/afterlight „[Afterlight has] a dark premise, an unpopular outcast heroine, a beautiful and brooding love interest and a mystery.‟ - Books + Publishing 'Afterlight has all the ingredients that make up an enthralling read….For those who just like an exciting read that pulls at the heartstrings and ensures some terrifying moments, Lim has ensured that the action is fast paced and the characters are really believable.‟ - ReadPlus „I loved it. The intensity, especially with the last few chapters was unexpected and had me on the edge of my seat. I adored Sophie‟s character, who readers will not only find likeable but also relatable. Rebecca Lim is a wonderful Aussie author who‟s taking our own bra nd of young adult to the world.‟ - Diva Booknerd